<p>Hi there. I'm currently a sophomore at Drexel University (Class of 2015, RAH!) and I'm just letting you know that if you have any questions about Drexel - co-op, financial aid, intramurals, Army ROTC, etc., I may have some answers for you. A lot of time people can speculate about a school, but a testimonial from a student is really what puts people over the edge to make a very crucial decision (where you go to college is obviously one of those). So, if you have any questions, feel free to post them here and I will try to respond to them as soon as possible.</p>
<p>A little about myself, so you can have a better idea of why I love being a Drexel Dragon and in which areas I can help answer questions. As I stated previously I am a sophomore at Drexel double majoring in English and Political Science and minoring in Anthropology. I'm a resident student, meaning I live on campus and can tell you a little about the res halls. I'm in Army ROTC, the Drexel Pep Band, and I play intramural floor hockey for my res hall. I'm a four year, no co-op student (an anomaly at Drexel, I can tell you personally why I opted out of co-op) who receives work study funds. At any rate, I have a ton of pride for my school and the people here, and I'm always willing to lend a hand. So feel free to ask away!</p>
<p>Drexel does have a lot of commuters, with many students coming from Philadelphia suburbs. Usually these students have no trouble getting involved with campus activities because a lot of the Student Life employees try and get as many students involved as possible. Some weekends Drexel can be very quiet, others not so much. 10 week terms are very demanding but that doesn’t mean students here have no fun. There are a lot of campus sponsored activities, and of course parties are a thing. Certainly if you’re not into that you don’t have to attend.</p>
<p>I feel incredibly safe at Drexel. The Drexel and UPenn police/safety officers are always around and are a very obvious presence on campus. Even off campus I don’t feel too unsafe. Obviously, as in any city, you have to be mindful of where you are going and who you are with but this campus is very safe. Drexel has a great program where, no matter where you’re going, as long as it’s within a 8-10 block radius of campus, you can call and receive an escort from a Drexel cop/PSO to where you’re headed, whenever, for free. I’m from a suburb of Maryland right outside of Maryland and I have to say that I feel safer here than at home. After 9 pm on weekdays all the res halls are staffed with a PSO (public safety officer) that monitor who go in and out of the dorms, and you need your DragonCard (school ID) to access any campus building. </p>
<p>iwannaSUCCEED - As far as business majors are concerned, they get a ton of valuable experience via co-op that helps them get their ‘foot in the door’ so to speak with big companies. I know many finance/accounting majors who get pretty decent co-ops with firms like Morgan Stanley, Chase, etc. and obviously that looks good as you work your way up in the corporate world. If you’re looking to maximize work experience, 5 year 3 co-op is what a lot of people do. Remember, however, that what you get out of co-op is what you put into it. If you don’t have a high GPA, or good references odds are you won’t get picked up in A round for a good co-op and then you might have to take a low paying or no paying internship - these situations work out poorly because you still have to finance the education you’re technically still receiving from Drexel. If you’re looking for the experience, but also the opportunity to spend more time in school, 4 year 1 co-op is the better option. As far as being a business major is concerned - if you’re willing to work hard, do a co-op option, the benefits certainly outweigh the cost.</p>
<p>biomedengkid - I received about 65% of my tuition covered by Drexel. From there I networked and earned a performing arts scholarship and had a couple of private scholarships. Drexel really throws their money at engineers, people who had high GPAs in high school, etc. You can apply for programs and scholarships (knowing alumni helps) from the university and that will hopefully help earn you scholarship funds. Obviously, Drexel is expensive, there is no way around that, but you really do see where your money goes. </p>
<p>I did not apply early decision. I was offered a VIP app, and I considered Drexel my safety school (prior to Drexel’s Accepted Students Day I was heading to Vanderbilt). However, once I got here and met the people, saw how enthusiastic the staff is, how well-rounded the students are, and the campus I knew this was the place for me. If you’re looking to definitely go here, you do get more money applying ED, so that might help you out.</p>
<p>@iwannasucceed- why would you plan to transfer after one year at Drexel?</p>
<p>I am not sure how easy it is to transfer credits to another school due to the fact that Drexel uses a quarter system. Also, the main selling point of Drexel is the coop program which you won’t get to take advantage of if you are only attending for one year. Plus, it is a very, very expensive school. I would not think Drexel would be a great choice for a student who is planning to transfer after one year.</p>
<p>IWannaSucceed - Pamom is right. Don’t go to Drexel if you’re going to transfer after a year. You’ll be wracked with debt and your credits will be nary impossible to transfer, unless you go to another quarter system school. If there is NO chance of staying at Drex, don’t do a co-op selection at all. If you’re like 60:40, and a business major go with a 4 year, 1. All of this being said, I strongly urge you look elsewhere if you’re pretty sure you’re gonna transfer. Drexel is not easy to transfer from, but rather really easy to transfer to. Just my $0.02</p>
<p>JPuck98,
Thank you for doing this. Do you know the stats for what GPA and SAT scores are needed to earn about 50% tuition? Do you mind sharing your stats?
Thanks</p>
<p>JPuck98, I was wondering what the housing situation is at Drexel. I’ve heard there are only enough dorms for freshmen and then after that you have to live off campus. Is that true?</p>
<p>I am also a Drexel student (3rd year in biomedical engineering) and can answer a few questions.</p>
<p>@techmom13
There are no magic numbers that are going to guarantee you 50% tuition coverage. They also take into account your intended major and EC’s. Drexel puts a lot more money into engineering scholarships since it is primarily an Engineering school. But if you must have some numbers, I had an 1800SAT and 3.7GPA in high school and received about 50% tuition coverage my freshman year (its less than 50% now because tuition increases by 5% per year)</p>
<p>@syndeyread
It really depends on what your actual major is, pre-med is not a major it is simply a set of courses that one must take to prepare for the MCAT and to be eligible for med school admission. Most people doing pre-med have majors in biology, chemistry, or biomedical engineering. With those majors, you can get a variety of co-ops such as jobs in pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, medical device companies, medical research, etc. </p>
<p>@CareerMom66
There is barely enough housing on campus for the existing freshman. They pretty much have all the rooms tripled up from what I have heard. In all honesty though, you are much better off living off campus after freshman year anyways. I am saving about $300 per month by moving off campus and I am living in a 1 bedroom apartment with no roommates. If you split an apartment/house with some people, you could be saving up to around $500 per month.</p>
<p>@Techmom – Derek’s right, there aren’t any magic numbers. Generally having above a 3.75 puts you in pretty good contention for the president’s scholarship. Personally, I was an IB Diploma Grad, took a lot of AP courses (earned 4s and 5s) was heavily involved in debate, sports, and school leadership and earned a 2100 on the SAT and a 29 on the ACT. </p>
<p>@SidneyRead – Derek’s right on about the places you co-op. A friend of mine is a bio major and has co-opped at a museum but also at a hospital. It really all depends.</p>
<p>@CareerMom – I’m gonna have to disagree with Derek here. Yes, housing is a little tight. My freshman year I was one of the overflow freshmen my freshman year and wound up living in an upperclassman suite (Caneris) and loved it. I’m currently living in a 6 person in North Hall and it’s pretty decent. Not all of the dorms are tripled, only Towers is. Personally, I don’t want to deal with the responsibility of an apartment right now seeing as housing takes care of any problem that goes wrong with your suite/room/etc. Obviously it is up to personal preference, on-campus housing is for some people and not for others, so…</p>
<p>@CareerMom, my daughter is a freshman in a suite in Van R that has 4 students as intended. It is not tripled or overcrowded. The way it worked last spring was that the sooner you decided to go to Drexel and got your housing deposit in, and then acted as soon as your time slot opened up, the better chance you had of getting your first choice in housing and avoiding the triples in Towers. Also, my understanding is this year’s freshmen will also have to live in some type of university housing sophomore year - a new rule.</p>
<p>@careermom- middle of the road is correct. Unless a student is commuting, they are required to live on campus for 2 years and Drexel has committed to provide housing for 2 years. Housing selection is based upon the deposit date, so if your student want to avoid a triple send your deposit early. Some people actually prefer the triples because they cost less. My D is in a double in Kelly and it is a very small room and the building is not in great shape. There are no lounges because they have been converted into rooms. I actually think the Towers triples are nicer than the doubles in Kelly.</p>
<p>jpuck98 and derek320,
Thank you for your answers. It helps a lot even though I know there is no guarantee. It looks like D might get something. She has a 3.7 GPA and a 2180 SAT superscore. She plans to go in the pre-health program with a eye toward grad school for physical therapy later. She also plays a sport. We just contacted the coach. Somehow Drexel fell off our radar when we were looking at schools. Her stats at Drexel are very good comparing to some of the other schools that have been recruiting her. It just might be a little late in the recruiting game. We are crossing our fingers. Do you know any athletes at Drexel? How hard is it to balance school and sport especially with the co-op? And the fast paced 10-wk quarter system?</p>
<p>I’m not quite certain what a schedule is like for a varsity athlete seeing as I only really have friends involved in club sports. I do however know that a lot of the varsity athletes are often coached to take degrees in easier majors to make sure they stay academically eligible. As far as balancing time with practices and stuff I can offer only my experience with my involvement with the ROTC program, which I’d reckon has a similarly matched time commitment. It is certainly possible to balance academics and other things at Drexel. That being said, we definitely MOVE. I’m taking 19 credits currently and I go from PT to class to ROTC related meetings all day long, five days a week. In addition to that I"m also in the pep band, so everything is a juggling act. Like most things, you really need to feel out how/what works for you but I’d venture to say that if you’re motivated and can keep yourself accountable (doing homework, getting up for classes, etc.) you can definitely do it. I’m not really sure what athletes do in terms of the co-op program. </p>
<p>Wow, you’re really keeping yourself busy, JPuck98. I agree with you that if one is motivated, it’s possible. We’ve just spoken to a Drexel rep. at our school’s college fair. She said they work with athletes in regards to the co-op program. Now it’s just a matter of how flexible the coaches are. We’ve just heard back from them, so we’ll definitely move forward. Thank you for all your insights. We’ll post again if we have more questions.</p>